First Week: Deja Vu

My first week in the campaign office felt like my first week working for an actual City Council Member. It's quite fitting that "Rogene the Candidate" acts a whole lot like "Rogene the City Council Member."

 

 

 

 

While in college I interned in an At-Large, Houston City Council Office and was immediately assigned to 1) look at city maps 2) write memos that research into specific city programs 3) look at the City Budget. On top of that, I also staffed the Council Member on meetings and evening events.

 

Now, it's like déjà vu -- 1) I'm mapping out all of her contacts across the city (thanks Google Maps!) 2) I'm researching different organizations that she'll interview for endorsements 3) I'm getting familiar with the City Budget.

Self-fulfilling prophecy, eh? 

 

But what's more inspiring is that "Rogene the Candidate" is also "Rogene the Community Activist."

  
 

Texas: It's All About the Maps

 Outside of the campaign trail, she continues her work with the community as part of the Texas Asian American Redistricting Initiative. On Wednesday, she and I went to University of Houston to attend a public hearing organized by the Texas House of Representatives Select Committee on Redistricting.

 

 

Governor Rick Perry announced a Special Legislative Session to discuss the maps outlined for the Texas House, Senate, and U.S. Congressional Districts. Check out this article about the controversy of the maps that required the U.S. Department of Justice and the D.C. Courts to intervene per the Voting Rights Act.

The Interim Maps (used as a placeholder for last year's elections...now the Texas Legislature will either approve it permanently or use another map)

 

Rogene testified before the Select Committee on  Redistricting about the need to create more "opportunity districts" based on the changing demographics of our state.

 

I felt like I was witnessing a bit of history, especially since redistricting happens every decade after the Census, and it's still going on in 2013. My professors often mentioned Texas, particularly with the issues of race, partisan politics, and redistricting. Those debates in ethics class can come in handy at a time like this.

 

Public Private Partnerships

I have a feeling Rogene will be adept at this endeavor, especially after finishing her term as President of the Asian Chamber of Commerce. I volunteered to staff the event and watched her mingle with a diverse crowd of entrepreneurs.  

 

 

The luncheon featured a guest speaker from Major League Baseball, discussing opportunities to gain vendor contracts with each individual team, including our own Houston Astros.

 

 

Leading Ladies: past president Rogene Gee Calvert, and current president, Linda Toyota, of the Asian Chamber of Commerce